Loving Pablo covers Escobar’s love story with journalist Virginia Vallejo. The movie is Bardem’s big screen reunion with wife Penelope Cruz, who is playing Vallejo.

Hollywood actor Javier Bardem is known for his award-winning turn as the serial killer in No Country for Old Men. But now, audiences will get to see him as something completely different - being Pablo Escobar.

Bardem, who portrays the drug kingpin in Loving Pablo, explained what drew him to this movie, given that he has already turned down a lot of offers for him to play Escobar. He said, “When I started to dig into this character almost 10 years ago, he wasn’t as much in the public eye. I was attracted to this movie because it’s about what’s in his mind, how he could have that greed when he basically had it all.”

The actor also revealed that he has never felt the human side of Escobar in previous movies and TV shows, reports E! Online. “I wanted to portray a real Pablo Escobar, because that’s the scary part. He was a human being, he was not a machine, he was not an idea, he was a person. I didn’t see that in those projects,” noted Bardem.

Bardem has been studying about Escobar, his physicality, movements and mannerisms for years. He watched a lot of videos in order to learn more about the character and discovered Escobar’s fondness for hippopotamuses.

Loving Pablo covers Escobar’s love story with journalist Virginia Vallejo. The movie is Bardem’s big screen reunion with wife Penelope Cruz, who is playing Vallejo.

The flick will make its worldwide premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 6.